Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Sophia Birch loves nothing more than the spotlight--as long as she's playing a part. A theater geek from an early age, Sophia now runs a little hole-in-the-wall playhouse that feeds her passion... even if it sometimes makes it hard to feed herself! And then one night it all nearly goes up in smoke. Desperate to save the only copy of an irreplaceable script, Sophia rushes back into the burning building.

Police officer Finn Kelly knows crazy when he sees it. And a woman running back into a burning building definitely qualifies as crazy. She also happens to be incredibly sexy. But when he finally finds her ruffling through drawers and refusing to leave, his only option is to carry her out over his shoulder....and then decide whether to arrest her.

Finn would have noticed her even if she hadn’t been wearing hot-pink lingerie. And nothing else.

He really would have. She was totally his type—brunette and curvy and, apparently, a little crazy. As evidenced by the fact that she was trying to sneak into a burning building. He did seem to be attracted to crazy. No matter how hard he tried not to be.

He watched the woman stop at the east corner of the Birch Community Playhouse, the one farthest from where the firefighters were working. Then he frowned as she slipped into the shadows along the side of the theater and out of sight.

Dammit. He started after her.

As one of the cops on scene, he had to keep the area clear for the firefighters and keep the crowd of onlookers safe. If one of them happened to have a great body and be dressed in nothing but a pink bra-and-panty set, well, he’d just call that a perk. And as he jogged across the street, Finn couldn’t help but wonder if she was in costume or if the alarm had caught her in the midst of a wardrobe change. If that was her outfit for the show, he might need to buy a ticket.

He turned the corner to the back of the building and looked around. He didn’t see her. She’d gone inside. Dammit. He climbed up the four steps that led to the back door of the theater.

Finn touched the door and found it cool. It seemed that the flames were still contained to the wall on the other end of the theater, but it was a mistake to assume anything when fire was involved.

He stepped inside and pulled the flashlight from his belt, then shone it back and forth. He turned a full circle, not sure where to go next. Just then Finn heard a door slam somewhere behind him. He swung toward the sound just in time to see the woman step out from a room.

Her eyes went wide when she saw him.

“Boston PD! Stop!” Finn shouted.

She had covered up. Kind of. She now wore a robe, short, sheer, and unbelted. Which really did nothing to cover his view of her panties and bra. Or all that skin.

And maybe that was why she suddenly took off at a run.

Finn stared after her for a moment, a little stunned. She was actually running from him?

The woman made it to the other end of the lobby and through one of the doors leading into the main theater before Finn got to her. He grabbed the door as it was swinging shut, nearly smashing his fingers. The lights were off in the inner theater but, as he plunged into the darkness, he got a big whiff of whatever body spray or perfume she wore. He took a deep breath. It was nice. Lemony. Sweet and…

Jesus. Finn scowled and turned his flashlight back on. He was thinking about how she smelled? How about the smell of smoke that was going to be chasing them both pretty soon?

“Hey!” he called into the theater. You have to come out, ma’am. It’s not safe for you to stay in the building.”

“Just give me a damned minute!” she shouted.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I can’t do that,” Finn said.

“I have to find something. Then I’m coming right out.”

“Ma’am, I will have to remove you myself if you don’t come out immediately.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” he heard her exclaim.

“Ma’am, this is your last warning. Stop what you’re doing and come with me.”

Enough of this. Finn stalked over to her, put a hand around her upper arm, and turned to remove her from the building.

She dug her heels in, though, pulling against his hold. “Hey, you can’t—”

“Oh, yes I can,” he told her calmly, careful to keep his eyes off her body. The heat from her skin had immediately soaked through the thin robe, and Finn felt it traveling from his palm up his arm. “I’ve given you several opportunities to cooperate.”

“You’re arresting me?” she asked.

“Are you doing something that you need to be arrested for?” he asked, moving her toward the door, even with her resisting.

“No! I need to get something. It’s very important. It belongs to a friend of mine. It’s irreplaceable.”

“Ma’am,” he said calmly, “don’t make me carry you out of here.”

She pulled against his grip and leaned all her weight into fighting the forward motion across the room.

Well, shit. He’d kind of figured it would come to this, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to touch her more. Still, it didn’t look as if he had a lot of choice. Reminding himself that he was a professional, he bent and hooked an arm behind her knees, looped the other around her back, and lifted her.

She gasped, and for a moment she didn’t fight. And he thought maybe the hard part was over. But as he headed out the door, trying to ignore how warm and soft and fucking lemony she was, she started to wiggle.

About the author:

Erin Nicholas is the New York Times bestselling author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they're shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).

Revenge. It's the only thing that will help Anya Best sleep at night. The serial killer who murdered her sister is on the loose, and Anya will stop at nothing to put him behind bars—even use herself as bait to lure him out of hiding. But she can't do this alone.

Private investigator Heath Jones's job is to bring bastards to justice. This time it's personal. He knew the Copper Killer's latest victim so when her sister asks for his help, he's all in. But when Anya uses the media to taunt the killer, she exposes Heath's identity, putting them both in jeopardy. Now, secrets buried long ago are coming to light and the forces determined to destroy him are watching Heath's every move, waiting to exact their own revenge. And they'll use anything and anyone to get to Heath.

She swallowed and met his gaze. “All right. Let me get this straight. We’re going undercover to flush out a killer who’s obsessed with me, and you’re offering to play at being my man for real with no strings or future?” She hoisted the bag onto her shoulder. “That’s some ego. Are you that good in bed?”

“Yes.” And that was definite interest in her eyes.

She clicked her tongue. “I’ll keep your offer in mind.”

“You do that.” He maintained a low and calm voice. “While you’re considering, let’s look at the situation. You have publicly made me your fiancé in order to draw out a killer, which means I have to act as such. Any halfway intelligent law enforcement officer or private investigator would keep his redheaded fiancée very close after the stunt you just pulled. If you’re not with me, the killer is going to be very suspicious.”

She stilled, expressions crossing her face rapidly. “That’s a good point,” she said slowly.

Yeah. Sometimes reality helped him out a little. Plus, the killer had a hard-on for her, and he must already have plans to take her at some point. She’d just upped the timeline. “In addition, you need protection around the clock now, and I’m willing to provide that. So while you’re keeping my offer in mind, we’ll be staying in the same hotel room or same apartment.” He made sure he had her full attention. “While we plan the wedding, of course.”

Her challenging smile thrilled something inside him. “That’s fair.”

He stepped back to give her some space. “Good. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” She looked around the room. “I do have to ask. What if I didn’t agree with you about your keeping secrets from me? Considering people shoot at you, and I’m going to be at your side, it seems fair that you tell me who these people are.” She cocked her head to the side and focused back on him.

“I have more immediate concerns than being fair,” he said smoothly. “You brought me into this mess.”

A frown drew down her eyebrows. “Listen. I want an answer about you.”

“I just gave you one.” At her mulish expression, he searched for better words that wouldn’t end in an argument.

Suddenly, the door blew wide open and bounced loudly off the table. “Anya!” he yelled, jumping for her.

About the author:

Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over twenty-five romantic suspense, dark paranormal, and contemporary romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestseller lists. She has received a Publisher's Weekly Starred Review for Wicked Edge, Romantic Times Reviewer Choice Nominations for Forgotten Sins and Sweet Revenge, and RT Top Picks for several of her novels. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat...and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off...and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out.

AN IRRESISTIBLE SCOUNDRELHighlander Patrick MacGregor likes his life just the way it is. Fighting for his coin, enjoying a woman's charms, and bearing no responsibility at all? Aye, that's the life for him. That is, until Patrick sees her-a raven-haired beauty with eyes as dark as midnight. Patrick swore never to fall in love. Not even with a lass as wild as he...especially when she's from a rival clan.

AN UNDENIABLE DESIRECharlotte Cunningham knows Patrick is trouble the moment she sets eyes on him. Her only goal is to escape the possibility of marriage. Any marriage. But as the summer days turn into sultry nights, enticing her beyond reason, Charlie is forced to choose between the freedom she craves and the reckless rogue she can't forget.

Charlie caught the subtle shift of his gaze toward her when she glared at him, doing her best to keep her eyes above his chin and ignoring his long, sculpted physique and broad shoulders. Was he speaking to her or her captor?

Dunbar laughed at his offer. “You don’t even carry a sword.” He looked him over. “Or even a place to hide one.”

It was true. Charlie hadn’t noticed it before. Patrick Campbell spoke like a Highlander and had dressed like one when she’d first seen him at Blind Jack’s yet he carried no obvious weapons.

Charlie knew it was true. He had fought Hamish with no weapons other than his fists. What kind of Highlander didn’t carry a sword? The kind who doesn’t need one.

Campbell moved closer to her and the eight men behind her. His gait was wrought with ease and confidence while her brothers and her father remained still.

“I’ll kill you for this, Campbell,” Duff swore.

“That’s doubtful,” Campbell tossed back without turning around. Instead, he looked at Charlie, now only a few inches away, standing between him and her captor.

If there wasn’t a blade to her throat, she would have taken a moment to admire him and all his hard angles.

“Untie me,” he said to Dunbar, “and I’ll fight them all with no help or risk of injury to ye or yer men.” He lifted his bound wrists up, close to Charlie’s face and the dagger at her throat. “The Duke of Argyll will hear of how ye aided his nephew.”

Dunbar seemed to think it over for a moment and then moved the dagger away from her neck to possibly cut Campbell loose. But instead of waiting to be free, the Highlander moved in a blur of speed snatching the dagger from Dunbar’s hand. In one fluid movement that Charlie almost missed by blinking, Campbell, still bound and clutching the hilt in his fingers, lifted his arms and then brought them back down to capture Dunbar’s head between his forearms, and Charlie’s head between his thick upperarms.

An instant turned into an eternity while he pulled Dunbar closer, wedging Charlie up against his chest. Time slowed as she looked up and he tiled his head to meet her gaze. She stared into his summer-glade eyes—ringed by lashes that were that long—and the evidence of Hamish’s wrath on his lip. His current wounds and an older one which had broken his nose saved him from being pretty. His mouth crooked ever so slightly—just enough to flash his dimple and completely befuddle her. A rascal. That’s what he was. He was helping her. But why? Before she had to ponder it further, the instant was over.

He hauled Archie Dunbar an inch closer and knocked him out with a clean blow, forehead to forehead. He moved quickly and lifted his arms to release Dunbar from his hold then gave him a powerful kick in the guts to topple him over.

“Run!” He pushed Charlie behind him and faced the rest of the Dunbars alone.

Duff reached them at the same time and an instant before the stunned expressions on the faces of Dunbar’s men wore off and they rushed forward.

“Give me your hands!” Charlie commanded, tugging on Campbell’s sleeve. When he obeyed, she cut him loose using her black blade.

The fool took a moment to smile at her before she tucked the dagger back under her skirts.

Hendry finally joined the fight but Charlie couldn’t take her eyes off Mr. Campbell in the melee.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

New York Times bestselling author Paula Quinn lives in New York with her three beautiful children, three over-protective chihuahuas, and a loud umbrella cockatoo. She loves to read romance and science fiction and has been writing since she was eleven. She loves all things medieval, but it is her love for Scotland that pulls at her heartstrings.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Hesse Creek Series Book 2

By Andrea Thome

Interview with Andrea Thome:

Crystal: Today I have the pleasure of hosting Andrea Thome. Welcome, Andrea! I'm so excited to have you here today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?Andrea:I’m a former broadcast journalist, turned full-time mother, turned author. I live in Chicago with my husband, two children and two feline co-authors. Besides writing, my other passions are travel and photography. I’ve personally taken the photographs for each of my three covers.Crystal: What are you currently working on?Andrea:I’m super busy right now with the book tour for my second novel, Seeds of Intention, which has been so much fun. (I’m leaving next week for Cleveland and Nashville, followed closely by St Paul and Detroit. It’s so much fun to meet people who’ve read and enjoyed your work!) I also just recently finished the manuscript for my third novel in the Hesse Creek Series, so I’m in the middle of the editing process for that book as well. It will be published on June 5, 2018. And in my spare time, I’ve been workshopping my next three-book series, which will be set in the Pacific northwest. I’ll start writing that in earnest after the first of the year.Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for either your current release or your current WIP?Andrea: The idea for my entire Hesse Creek Series came to me after attending a photography workshop at the resort where the first two books are set. It’s such a lovely place, so I always tell readers that the location was truly my first character. It’s easy to write about a place that resonates with me, so the people and the story just naturally evolved once I’d settled on East Tennessee as my setting for Walland. It was the same kind of effortlessness when it came to writing about Aspen, Colorado in Seeds of Intention. I guess I’m just a mountain mama at heart.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite snack that you like to munch on while writing? If so would you mind sharing what it is with us?

Andrea: When I’m writing, I don’t eat. In fact, I can forget to feed myself for hours. I do drink a lot of tea, though.Crystal:Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?Andrea: In Walland, I really enjoyed writing the scenes involving the Airstream trailer. There is something so romantic and nostalgic to me about the isolation of two people against the outside world. In Seeds of Intention, I love the scenes where all of the friends are together. The over-arching theme of the entire Hesse Creek Series is the exploration of the family that we are born into being very different from the family that we choose to create for ourselves as we get older. I love the way my characters have made themselves into a family, and I think they are hilarious when they all get together.Crystal: When you are not busy writing wonderful stories to keep us lucky readers entertained, what do you like to do? Do you have a hobby?Andrea: I love to travel with my husband and kids. I’m a hack photographer, so I’ll pretty much go anywhere or do anything for a great photo. Hiking is my favorite outdoor pastime. I find great inspiration in the quiet of the woods.Crystal: Do you have a favorite background noise you like to having going while you write (TV, Music, kids playing)?Andrea:If it can’t be quiet, I do love to listen to music when I’m writing. I’ve even put together playlists for my books. Both lists are in separate blogs on my website, http://www.andreathome.com/blog Music is one of my biggest inspirations. I’ve been known to pull off the road when a single lyric needs to be written down and remembered. I’ve cultivated entire chapters out of just a few lines in a song.Crystal: Thanks for visiting. It has been a pleasure having you visit today. Can you think of anything else you would like to share with us today?Andrea:I’m so grateful that you made the time to learn more about my work. Authors couldn’t do what we do without these kinds of incredible partnerships with bloggers and journalists who are willing to get the word out for us. THANK YOU! I can’t wait to share more of my writing with you in the future.~*~*~*~*~*~*~About the Book:Is it more important to have roots, or wings?

Garrett Oliver has just settled into his job as heir apparent to one of the most renowned master gardeners in the country. After a difficult few years, he’s found a home and a renewed purpose at a famed resort in the secluded Smoky Mountains. The stars seem to be aligning for Garrett as he plans a future with his college sweetheart and envisions a simple life with her in the mountains of East Tennessee.Willow Armstrong, fresh off a painful breakup, is coming home to Knoxville to care for her ailing father. She finds herself in the right place at the right time, landing a dream job alongside Garrett—as his boss. As they are thrown together by their work, an undeniable magnetism grows between them, despite the fact that Garrett is ready to start a future with someone else. Circumstances persist in drawing them closer, and an unexpected opportunity in Colorado prompts Willow and Garrett to wonder if a life together out west might be beyond anything either of them had dared to imagine.Release Date: Sept. 5, 2017Women’s FictionRomanceAmazon Buy Link

~*~*~*~*~*~*~About the Author:

I'm a former broadcast journalist, having covered both sports and news during my career. (That's how I met my husband; I interviewed him on MLB opening day in 1995, and the rest is history.) I temporarily retired when we had our children, so I could be home with them full-time while they're young. We have a fourteen-year-old daughter, a nine-year-old son, and two cats that we spoil rotten.

This seemed like the perfect time in my life to jump back into doing something I love; writing and telling stories. No one was more surprised than me when I ended up with 65,000 words in my lap last spring! I called it Walland, and it was published in August of 2016. My second book, Seeds of Intention was published on September 5, 2017 and I've just finished the manuscript for the third book in the Hesse Creek Series, which will be published June 5, 2018.

In my spare time, I love photography and travel, preferably at the same time. My novels are inspired by favorite places I've traveled, each of which have left vivid footprints on my imagination. I believe a book can be steamy and sexy, while still keeping it classy. I also love to infuse my characters with great senses of humor.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Avery’s parents’ divorce was bad enough, but when her mother seeks the ultimate revenge against her father for his lies, deceptions, and marrying another woman, it sets Avery’s life on a path of destruction. Avery’s mother’s failed attempt at ruining her father’s honeymoon ends up leaving Avery all on her own to suffer through the aftermath that spans a lifetime.

It should never have been Matt who had to come to Avery’s rescue. But somehow, he always finds a way to aid Avery when she needs it most.

He isn’t exactly the knight in shining armor type, but when it comes to Avery, he gives her no less than the absolute best.

Her contempt for him breeds his love and devotion for her that won’t be denied.

Though he has loved no other woman and had no intentions of falling for Avery, Matt finds himself trapped in a battle of right and wrong as he fights to make Avery believe in true love, and that they have always been meant to be together.

This is a duet series told from the POV of Matt and Avery as they struggle in their love for each other; fighting scandal, family ties, and against each other every step of the way.

Nothing can ever be Something That Simple… as love.

WARNING: TRIGGERS, SEX, VIOLENCE & MURDER -This is not for the faint at heart. It can be disturbing. It is a bad, bad world we live in.

Kari Nelson is not a conventional writer. She’s extremely daring and willing and able to take plenty of risks with her writing. Pretty much writing things that go into her head, and probably shouldn’t come out, as she attempts to lead readers on a journey they wouldn’t expect and perhaps, never knew they wanted to go on.She is very unpredictable; because what fun is there in being predictable and reading about it?

Her stuff can be raw, raunchy and downright dirty at times. Her stories can also be a roller coaster of emotions that can leave one breathless with literary prose or throwing a fit out of sheer frustration of it not going in their desired direction.

She loves the possibilities in insanity and the deeply deranged. She will take you to the brink of crazy and slowly bring you back to normal.

As a genre jumper, due to her fascination with sexuality, religion, and politics, she often finds herself in hot water because her thoughts on these heated-debate topics are unconventional, and cannot be placed in a box. But as a freethinker, she refuses to conform.

There's something about those Wyoming men... New York Timesbestselling author Diana Palmer returns to the Cowboy State with a brand-new tale of desire and deception

Cultivating his vast Wyoming ranch is all security expert J. C. Calhoun wants. His land is the only thing the betrayed rancher can trust in after discovering his fiancee was pregnant by another man. But all J.C. holds dear becomes compromised when a lost little girl leads him to Colie Jackson, the woman who destroyed his life.

Colie stops at nothing to protect the people she loves. Years ago she left J.C. for his own good. Now, for the sake of her daughter, she must depend on a hard-hearted man who won't forgive her. As a band of ruthless criminals tracks their every move through the frozen Wyoming winter, Colie and J.C. will be forced to confront the lies that separated them--and the startling truth that will bind them forever...

“You never wear a hat,” Colie mused, trying not to let her hands tremble as she took the coat to hang up for him. He was so tall that she had to stand on her tiptoes to pull it back off his shoulders.

“I hate hats,” he remarked. He glanced at her as she put the coat on the rack in the hall, his pale gray eyes narrow and appraising on her slender, sexy body. She dressed like a lady, but he knew all about women who put on their best behavior around company. She was just out of school; college, he was certain, because she had to be at least twenty-two or twenty-three. Catelow had several thousand people, and J.C. didn’t mix with them. He only knew what Rodney told him about his sister. And that wasn’t much.

“I noticed,” Colie said as she turned, smiling.

His eyes flickered down to her pert breasts and he fought down a raging hunger that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He had women, but this one stirred him in a dif­ferent way. He couldn’t explain how, exactly. It irritated him and he scowled.

He smiled, his perfect white teeth visible under chis­eled, sensuous lips. “It’s great. I love turkey.” He chuck­led. “I like chicken, too, although I usually get mine in a bucket.”

Her eyes widened. “You put it in a pail, like you milk cows with?” she asked, shocked.

He glowered at her. “There’s this chicken place. They sell you chicken and biscuits and sides…”

She went red as fire. “Oh, gosh, sorry, wasn’t think­ing,” she stammered. “Let’s go in! Daddy’s already at the table.”

Rodney went ahead, but J.C. slid a long finger inside the back of Colie’s sweater and gently stopped her. He moved forward, so that she could feel the heat and power of him at her back in a way that made her heart run wild, her knees shiver. “I was teasing,” he whispered right next to her ear. His lips brushed it.

Her intake of breath was visible. Her whole body felt shaky.

His big hands caught her shoulders and held her there while his lips traveled down the side of her throat in a lazy, whispery caress that caused her to melt inside.

“Do you like movies?” he whispered.

“Well, yes…”

“There’s a new comedy at the theater Saturday. Go with me. We’ll have supper at the fish place on the way.”

She turned, shocked. “You…you want to go out with me?” she asked, her green eyes wide and full of delight.

He smiled slowly. “Yes. I want to go out with you.”

“Saturday?”

He nodded.

“What time?”

“We’ll leave about five.”

“That would be lovely,” she said, drowning in his eyes, on fire with the joy he’d just kindled in her with the un­expected invitation.

Diana Palmer, AKA Susan Spaeth Kyle, was born in 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, the eldest daughter of William and Eloise Spaeth. She and her younger sister, Dannis, were raised in Chamblee, where Susan graduated from Chamblee High School in 1964. The family moved to Cornelia, Georgia, in 1965. Susan married James Kyle in 1972. They have a son, Blayne, who is married to the former Christina Clayton. They are both graduates of Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. They live in Tennessee and have a daughter, Selena Marie Kyle, born in February, 2009.

In 1991, Susan returned to college and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia, in 1995. She continues to work on her master’s degree in history as time permits. Her first novel as Diana Palmer was published in 1979. She has over 115 novels in print. She has written historical novels as well as contemporary romance, and has produced science fiction, with her novel THE MORCAI BATTALION appearing in hardcover in 2007. Two sequels to this book have been released as eBooks. THE MORCAI BATTALION: The Recruit and THE MORCAI BATTALION: Invictus are both available from all eBook retailers now. Her latest hardcover novel is INVINCIBLE by HQN, released in August 2014 and mass market paperback novel is WYOMING STRONG by HQN, released November 2014.

Susan’s hobbies are gardening, knitting, crocheting, astronomy, archaeology, and animals. She has dogs, cats, birds and lizards. She enjoys getting mail from her readers, but is slow to answer it.